Bucs Owners Hope To Get Offensive

Tony Dungy's Successor Will Be Expected To Improve The Offense.

TAMPA -- If Marvin Lewis is to be the next coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he'll have to bring along someone with a plan to move the football on offense.

That's the way the Glazers want it.

Lewis, the Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator, is the reported favorite among the three candidates the team has interviewed for the post, made vacant by the Jan. 14 firing of Tony Dungy. Lewis is said to have an edge on former Washington coach Norv Turner and Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey.

But Lewis is not the favorite among those whom the Glazers -- specifically, sons Joel and Bryan -- consider as candidates. They still are believed to be targeting Oakland Coach Jon Gruden.

Lewis, 43, may wind up as the Bucs' coach, but he would have to come up with some names -- such as New England offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, whose contract is up, or Pittsburgh quarterbacks coach Tom Clements -- of potential assistants who will make a difference on offense.

The Glazers not only like Gruden for his 38-26 record over four seasons, including a pair of AFC West Division titles, but also love his flair for offense. They have made it clear to General Manager Rich McKay that they will not go into another season with a conservative, unimaginative offense.

Gruden has a year left on his contract with the Raiders. To get him out of that year would require compensation similar to the first-, second-, third- and fourth-round picks spread over three years that the New York Jets surrendered to lure Bill Parcells from the New England Patriots in 1997.

Such a move also would require a return phone call from Raiders owner Al Davis, who reportedly has ignored six messages from Bucs General Manager Rich McKay.

Teams sources say the Glazers were frustrated by the Tampa Bay offense run by rookie NFL coordinator Clyde Christensen -- so frustrated, in fact, that they gave no consideration to allowing Dungy to stay if he agreed to fire the entire offensive staff and let McKay choose the successors.

Whoever is hired to coach the Bucs will have to impress the Glazers with his plan to improve an offense that finished 26th in the NFL in the 2001 season. That was a step backward from the season before, when Dungy fired coordinator Les Steckel after just one season despite team records for points, first downs and red-zone efficiency.

Sources say Dungy ousted Steckel after just one season at the behest of the rest of his assistants, who did not get along with Steckel. The Glazers, meanwhile, liked what Steckel had done. His firing a year ago infuriated the Glazers and nearly led to Dungy's firing several weeks later.

The naming of Christensen didn't help Dungy's case with the owners, and certainly didn't help his case in seeking a contract extension. Ultimately, Dungy's loyalty to Christensen cost both men their jobs.

In other news, Disney's Wide World of Sports has submitted a proposal to be the training-camp headquarters for the Bucs beginning this summer. Construction projects have caused the team to leave the University of Tampa, with Disney getting consideration, along with Saint Leo College and the IMG Training Complex in Bradenton.